#neural stimulation

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

Halo really has people microchipped and has it be standard procedure that if you join the military you will likely get some kind of invasive brain surgery (GIANT METAL SPIKE) and this is a minor detail

[vayneoc]

BOLD THE FACTS

ft. Vayne Hayes (timing: ~3rd act; italicised text means it's more of a consequence of Johnny's presence in her brain rather than her own lifestyle)

booped by @fereldanwench 👋👁️👁️ thanks 🖤

PERSONAL

$ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty

✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non-applicable

✔ Education: qualified/ unqualified / studying / other

✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / yes, but charges were dismissed

FAMILY

◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children

◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased

◔ Affiliation: orphaned / abandoned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable

TRAITS + TENDENCIES

♦ extroverted / introverted / in-between

♦ disorganized / organized / in-between

♦ close-minded / open-minded / in-between

♦ calm / anxious / in-between / highly contextual

♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in-between

♦ cautious / reckless / in-between / highly contextual

♦ patient / impatient / in-between

♦ outspoken / reserved / in-between / highly contextual

♦ leader / follower / in-between

♦ empathetic / vicious bastard / in-between

♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in-between

♦ traditional / modern / in-between

♦ hard-working / lazy / in-between

♦ cultured / uncultured / in-between / unknown

♦ loyal / disloyal / in-between / unknown

♦ faithful / unfaithful / in-between / unknown

BELIEFS

★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic

☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking

✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know/ don’t care / in a manner of speaking

✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking

❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious

❀ Philosophical: yes / no / highly contextual

SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION

❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual

❥ Sex: sex-repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naive and clueless

♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / naive and clueless / romance suspicious

❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious

⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

ABILITIES

☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor/ none

≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✍ Artistic Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

HABITS

☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / rarely / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic / former borderline alcoholic turned sober

☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker

✿ Recreational Drugs: tried some / never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict

✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed / frequently / to excess

☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / rarely / sometimes / frequently / binge eater

$ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic

♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gamble

BOOPS

@juststayquiete @medtech-mara @bnbc @imaginarycyberpunk2023 @wanderingaldecaldo @cyberpunkaddict @cyberneutral @dreamskug @therealnightcity @merge-conflict @johnau6ust @wraithsoutlaws @a-pirate @chevvy-yates @caer-oswin

do it. or don't.

[ytvideoseo]

Explore the fascinating parallels between human structure and stimulation, and their intriguing connection with our canine companions in this captivating YouTube video. Discover how the intricate workings of the human body mirror aspects of canine physiology, shedding light on our shared evolutionary journey. From neural responses to sensory experiences, delve into the captivating realm where humans and dogs intersect, offering insights into the profound bond between species. Join us on a journey of discovery and appreciation for the wonders of human and canine biology. If you want to know more about this, Click here 

#credentialedcoachtraining #credentialedcoach #coachingtraining #coachingskills #coachtrainingprogram #coachtraininginstitute #accreditedcoachtraining #humanstructure #caninecompanions #parallels #stimulation #dogs #connection #physiology #neuralresponses #sensoryexperiences #intersect #fascinating #intricateworkings #sharedtraits #understanding #relationship #neuroscience #evolutionarybiology #neurobiology #humananimalbond #comparativephysiology #appreciation #coaching #discoveries

[culturesupport]

Should Understand This condition More

Find My 3D Printer

[sublimati0ns]

daily koss 39: the inside of your mind is a scary place

I initially drew the first pic as a cursed crack OOC warmup, but then Lacuna was like “if you make this happen in a [psychic patch] it could be IC” and I was like. Oh my god…

It was such a pleasure drawing Knock Out being the more flustered and emotive one in a scene finally 😂

I imagine they have to delve deep into his subconscious to destroy the viral seed buried in the centre of his neural code, so there’s more than just his memories there… Hopefully I can draw more of this scenario in a less-shitposty light sometime, cuz I imagine KO’s mind is kind of ominous:

This hungry, stimulation-seeking void with sadistic urges (and yes, also freak pervert urges), turning around past brutality with fond nostalgia… Wondering what the insides of the people around him might look like… Getting ideas for more unethical experiments… Yearning to enact violence in response to petty slights from others… More derogatory snark about the ’bots around him than he usually cares to let slip out loud… 🤔

I feel like it’s an intense headspace to be in, which is compounded by the fact it’s weirdly worry-free (which is an especially stark contrast to Starscream’s mind, which we’ve seen is a 4K cringe compilation interspersed with power fantasies and trauma flashbacks 😭). It’d be kinda funny if his mindscape has Horror Genre vibes, considering his personality, occupation, film preferences—horror and beauty do make a good juxtaposition… (And now I’m imagining the drag racing hobby manifesting in the form of high-octane chase scenes, but I digress.)

Knock Out must have tender components in there too, though—which I imagine he’s an even split of embarrassed by or bold / nonchalant about on a case-by-case basis. Like everyone knows he had a companionable dynamic with Breakdown; he wouldn’t be ashamed of that! He probably wouldn’t be ashamed of having flirted with Optimus (and Megatron…) either. The more sentimental feelings he has for the seeker in his head, on the other hand… 💀

[theambitiouswoman]

We have three brains: The head brain, the gut and the heart.

🧠 Head (Brain): This is where our logic, intellect, and conscious thought processes are centered. Despite its importance, 90% of our behavior is influenced by our unconscious mind.

How to take care:

🧠 Do activities that stimulate your brain, such as puzzles, reading, learning new skills, or practicing mindfulness meditation. These activities can help improve cognitive function and maintain brain health.

🧠 Healthy nutrition, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and managing stress are crucial for brain health. Physical health directly impacts your cognitive abilities and mental clarity.

🧠 Keep your brain active by learning new things regularly. This could involve hobbies, courses, or activities that challenge and stimulate your intellect.

🍽️  Gut: Often referred to as our "second brain," the gut produces a significant amount of serotonin, which plays a crucial role in mood regulation and overall emotional management.

How to take care:

🍽️  Eat a diet rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, and probiotics (like yogurt or kefir) to promote a healthy gut microbiome. Avoid excessive sugar and processed foods.

🍽️  Drink plenty of water throughout the day to support digestion and overall gut function.

🍽️  Stress can negatively impact your gut health. Practice stress reduction techniques like deep breathing, yoga, or meditation to maintain a healthy gut-brain axis.

❤️ Heart: The heart has neural pathways that communicate with the brain, suggesting a bidirectional flow of information. This connection emphasizes the role of emotions, intuition, and feelings in our decision making and overall cognitive processes.

How to take care:

❤️ Maintain positive relationships, express your emotions constructively, and engage in activities that bring you happiness and fulfillment.

❤️ Regular exercise not only benefits the heart but also helps manage your emotions by releasing endorphins and reducing stress.

❤️ Take time for your self care activities that nurture your emotional and psychological health.

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

I feel like it might be understated slightly just how funny Underflow actually is.

"For an experiment, I drank 10 cups of expresso. But that's strange, I don't feel anything compared to our normal neural stimulants."

Failed at a diplomatic conversation so poorly that the other person ran away from her to save face and struggled to understand what she had done wrong.

Infodumps about different kinds of poisons

Considerably overdone her application, not realizing that such an extensive history of herself would freak out the other person.

and finally

She is definitely pulling Irene here lmao

After of course she gave her the cold shoulder initially and didn't understand why she was disappointed.

She's honestly kind of great. Definitely going in the "Operators I headcanon as autistic" file.

[ytvideoseo]

Human Structure and Stimulation, & Dogs

Explore the fascinating parallels between human structure and stimulation, and their intriguing connection with our canine companions in this captivating YouTube video. Discover how the intricate workings of the human body mirror aspects of canine physiology, shedding light on our shared evolutionary journey. From neural responses to sensory experiences, delve into the captivating realm where…

[kafkaoftherubble]

MY BIAS FURRENDO, YES, FINALLY, YES!!!

DONATE! HOLY SHIT YOU SEEING THIS?!

That's what my Best Friend wanted to do too (though hers will be in Thailand. Chiang Rai, I think. BUT STILL THIS PROVES HE IS MY FRIEND MATERIAL; HE JUST HASN'T KNOWN IT YET)

It's okay, you don't always agree with your friends on everything

Fun obscure fact: that dragon is actually me, Lyndis. He's now sleeping, that's why I'm wilding over here.

CORRECT ANSWER. Do you know you could shit yourself after you die? Plus, there's no point to eating before death. It's not like you'll need that sustenance.

guys please read the comic to see Wing Chun Bro smiles genuinely

This is equivalent to my "I don't have social media account" answer, which is true, by the way. Tumblr isn't something I wanna give to people I meet in real life. But then do you really believe Suo over here doesn't own a phone? His phone number is like his Tumblr account, man. Or his right eye.

Thank Crow for the FOOD! YOU ARE THE BEST!

Daily questions 5 - Suo Hayato

For all other translations, see this post!

Suo's answers:

If you have 500 yen, how would you use it? - Of course I'll donate it. (edit: my original translation is wrong, this is the correct translation)

If you could travel to somewhere in Japan for a holiday, where would you go? - The tea fields in Shizuoka, to try picking tea leaves. (t/n: fun fact, I've actually been to those fields before, there's a huge word for "tea / 茶" in one of the fields that you can see when passing by the tea fields)

What's your favourite condiment? - Shoyu, in particular sweet shoyu

What do you think about before you sleep? - The dragon sealed in my left eye could escape and go wild, something along those lines, ahaha. (t/n: this is the very essence of a self-aware chuuni LMAO)

What would you eat for your last meal? - Hmm, it's ok if I don't eat.

Recently, was there something that made you a little happy? - There were two vertical tea leaves in my tea. (t/n: vertical tea leaves (茶柱/ chabashira / literally "tea pillars") are a sign of good luck. Here is a very wholesome comic of this scene showing what they look like!)

If someone of the opposite gender asks you for your contact number, what would you do? - I don't have a contact number, sorry

[grison-in-space]

I'm sorry? Pigeons have to coo to ovulate?

okay, okay, I left this one out in the tags without elaborating the other day and you were not the only person who asked-- @nanavn and @corvus--caurinus were also curious. I did not have a ton of time yesterday when my brain was not leaking out my ears, so here I am today.

First, I apparently misremembered my grad school teachings: the best-documented case study of doves being required to hear their own coo in order to ovulate is that of the ring or Barbary dove (Streptopelia risoria), not the rock dove which gave rise to our domestic pigeons (Columba livia). They look like this:

They're the domestic doves you see sometimes that aren't domestic pigeons.

But yes, I was completely serious: hens need to very specifically hear their own nest coo to ovulate. The way it works is this: these doves have a very specific courtship pattern, where courting males at different stages of the nesting process perform first a "bow" coo, then a nest coo. Then the hen makes a nest coo back, and the pair goes on to build a nest together in which the hen will lay fertile eggs.

If you prevent the hen from producing this coo--and the first paper I've linked does this in several different ways with both neural lesions and also mechanical blocks of the synrinx--she will not ovulate. Then Dr. Cheng tried rescuing the effect for doves who could hear but not produce their own coos by playing back recordings of devocalized doves' own nest coos, recordings of other hen's nest coos, recordings of male nest coos (their own males, I think, for preference?) and no recordings at all. Hen nest coo recordings, especially the recordings of the hens themselves, were enough to rescue ovulation effect... but deafened hens who could, themselves produce nest coos weren't able to make ovulation happen half the time even when the male was right there. The male nest coo and his mating display is really important, because his coo stimulates the female to make her nest coo, and that's where ovulation starts.

In 2003, a little over a decade later, Dr. Cheng wrote a whole book chapter about auditory self-stimulation as a phenomenon in neuroendocrine shifts. It makes for pretty interesting reading! I'm going to really enjoy it this afternoon. Stimulated ovulation is actually a pretty common phenomenon in animals--often it makes more sense to only bother ovulating if you know there's a partner around to use whatever eggs you yield up--but this one is one of the most interesting and elaborate systems out there, and definitely the one that offers the most options to a given female dove to potentially consciously control her reproductive output.

But grison, you might ask, what about the doves outside my window? Is this just a function of this one dove species, or are lots of doves doing this to make ovulation happen? So I went looking to find out whether anyone has checked. The thing is that the heyday of pigeon behavioral research has faded somewhat in the intervening decades since Dr. Cheng's discovery, so there's not as much as I might hope where people sat down to investigate the question. I did, however, find a neat study on Columba livia demonstrating that auditory stimulation is more important to courtship displays and success than visual displays are, although of course the multisensory courtship is stronger than either sensory modality alone. So yeah, the cooing back and forth really loudly is part of a display that is functionally necessary for successfully producing offspring, and the auditory component is important for basically every pigeon that has been studied in this respect (albeit that number is pitifully small).

I also found this really interesting review of known uses of birdsong to set internal emotional states in birds (either for the self or for a partner or flockmates) that I want to look into with more detail, plus this really thoughtful review from Dr. Donna Maney talking about how "incentive salience" can use learning and experience to make certain cues bring up neuroendocrine changes in state over time, which helps individuals control how their endocrine system is reacting to stimuli in the world they've been shaped by. Clearly I have some reading to do...

[patricia-taxxon]

so is every advancement in AI art just them putting more shit in the prompts for you? like is there a mandatory layer of "intricate, artstation, digital art" on the prompts now?

they "solved" the problem of training set bias by just adding race modifiers to your prompts without telling you, generate enough pictures of Naruto and one of them will be black. It's hilarious, but like, can they even do anything else?? They can't modify the neural net, it's unknowable by nature. Bing's new image generation thing craps out on you if you don't give it enough to work with, when previous gens would just roll with it and stimulate the prompt with wind like its a resonant tube of weighted averages. Could it be that giving it "the" or something else generic would make the modifiers too easy to identify? They couldn't stop black homer simpson from having an "ethnically ambiguous" nametag. I feel like im seeing behind disneyland right now.

[mebis-reblogs]

The Benefactors seem to have had a cultural practice involving piercing and needles related to acupuncture

Their culture does seem to have valued subjective experiences (see: living memories and qualia) so I wonder if directly stimulating the neural system like that is part of it

[groovysarity]

Have you ever wondered why they don't teach kids to write in cursive anymore?"

And no, it's not a coincidence that they tend to use it less and less.

Writing in cursive means translating thoughts into words; it forces you not to take your hand off the paper.

A thought-stimulating effort, that allows you to associate ideas, tie them and put them into relation.

Not by any chance the word cursive comes from the Latin «currere», which runs, which flows, because the thought is winged, runs, flies.

Of course cursive has no place in today's world, a world that does its best to slow down the development of thought, to stuff it.

Think that cursive was born in Italy and then spread all over the world.

Why ?

Because it was compact, elegant, clear writing. Because it connects neural pathways that are only

connected in this way. And because AI cannot read it.

[sirxaibs]

Veritas Ratio HSR X Reader

“Stubborn, Stubborn, Stubborn.”

masterlist

You’re apart of the crew and an aspiring scientist. Though focusing in the forensics field to help out on missions.

📜🪶��ִ໋🀦✎ᝰ. You hunched over a cluttered desk inside Herta’s Space Station, scribbling notes that looked more like deciphered codes than legible science. The quiet hum of machinery served as a backdrop to your forced concentration, punctuated every so often by the sharp scratch of a pen.

Dr. Veritas Ratio sat a few feet away, posture rigid, eyes sharp beneath a veil of bangs, hand flying across the pages of his own leather bound book like a man possessed.

This wasn’t what you imagined when you signed up to “shadow the renowned Dr. Ratio for advanced forensic learning.” You wanted to expand your skills, help the crew better on field missions because for some god forsaken reason, every time you stepped foot on a new planet, you were the one knee deep in clues, bodies, and mysteries no one asked for. It only made sense to sharpen your mind where it counted. days in and Dr. Ratio had barely acknowledged you unless he was critiquing your logic like a middle school science project.

Still, you tried again.

“So,” you started, voice casual, “when you said the neural pathways respond to stimulation, were you implying synaptic frequency increases even without cognitive awareness, or?”

“I was referring,” he interrupted at lightning speed, “to the involuntary oscillation of signal transmissions under external influence, something any second year biologist could tell you. Your phrasing was inaccurate, misleading, and honestly bordering on theoretical idiocy.”

You blinked, stunned into silence not because you were offended, but because his words were fired off like bullets from a gatling gun. You couldn’t even keep up enough to be offended. Still, you smiled, brows raised. “Right… of course. That’s what I meant. Totally.”

He didn’t look up, didn’t acknowledge the sarcasm. Just kept writing. You sighed, staring at your notes and trying to find the motivation to continue copying something down about tissue decomposition in altered gravity conditions. But your thoughts were elsewhere specifically: “The brain is a muscle, my ass,” you thought bitterly. “This man is a stick in the mud.”

You tried once more, adjusting your chair just enough to glance at him. “Hey, uh… Ratio?” He didn’t stop writing. “I just wanted to let you know it’s my last day here. The Express is taking off tonight.”

He paused. Pen hovered in midair. For the first time in hours, he turned to look at you. “Then I suppose this is farewell,” he said evenly. “Any mind still desperate to learn more is worth a modicum of effort.” You blinked. That actually sounded… almost like a compliment? “But you remain, unfortunately, idiotic.”

There it was.

You couldn’t help the dry laugh that escaped. “Thanks, I’ll take that as the most affectionate thing you’ve said all week.”

“There is no affection in scientific discourse,” he replied, already back to his book.

You exhaled hard through your nose. There’s no pleasing this man. Still, you gathered your things, slung your bag over your shoulder, and gave him a nod. “Appreciate the time. Really. Maybe next time, I’ll come back knowing enough to offend you less.”

Ratio didn’t look up. “Unlikely, but your optimism is statistically entertaining.”

You paused at the door and gave one last look over your shoulder. No goodbye. Just the steady scratch of pen on paper. Annoying. Insufferable. Condescending. You had plenty of normal conversations with Ruan Mei, Screwllum, even Herta who could be a little unhinged but at least talked like a human being. you couldn’t say you didn’t learn something. Even if you wanted to shove him into a simulation chamber and press “random.”

Sighing, you stepped out of the lab, muttering to yourself, “The man needs a personality transplant. Or at least a nap.” Time to go back to the Astral Express. Hopefully, without being called an idiot in five different academic dialects.

📜🪶𓍢ִ໋🀦✎ᝰ. Dr. Veritas Ratio stood alone in the silence of Herta’s Space Station lab, the ambient hum of machinery now a mere background to his thoughts. The room still carried the faint trace of your presence a slightly skewed chair, a half empty data pad left untouched, a worn notebook you used with mismatched doodles and scientific scribbles alike. He stared at the door for longer than he intended after you had left.

“Hmph.” His voice echoed softly in the quiet room, as if irritated by his own lingering stillness.

With a sharp breath, he returned to his seat, flipping open the leather bound journal he had been writing in not his own research logs, but something far more… unwieldy.

A chronicle. An account. An observation. You. You, the girl who barged into his space several days ago claiming she was eager to “learn more about forensics” so she could stop playing amateur detective across the galaxy like some kind of self declared interstellar sleuth. The girl who stood there in front of him bright eyed, annoyingly persistent, armed with nothing but a notepad and a smile that dared him to reject her.

He should have said no. Really. He meant to.

Entry One:

She is insufferably stubborn.

From the moment she entered, she challenged my authority not with words, but with that relentless, aggravating optimism. It’s like trying to teach science to a golden retriever that insists on wagging its tail every time it gets a basic equation right.

She surrounds herself with the imbecile crew of the Astral Express each of them so charmingly flawed that one would need earplugs just to survive a conversation. She listens. She stares at equations like a brain dead dog. if puzzles are worth solving, and when she gets them wrong…

Ratio’s pen slowed for a second.

Entry Three:

I threw a book at her.

She botched a rudimentary breakdown of spatial decay honestly, I still don’t understand how someone confuses atomic diffusion rates with heat based deconstruction and I threw a book at her.

He tapped the end of the pen to the page.

She didn’t cry. Didn’t storm out. She laughed. Actually laughed. Rubbed the back of her head and said, “Should’ve known you’d have better aim than that,” before flipping back to her notes and reworking the entire equation.

Stubborn. Stubborn. Stubborn.

He underlined the word twice.

Entry Five:

She got something right today.

Not just right. Brilliant, actually. She identified a miscalculation in a gravitational bleed pattern I hadn’t even caught yet. I told her it was “adequate.” She beamed like I’d handed her a Nobel Prize.

Ratio exhaled slowly at the memory. There had been more moments like that. More times than he cared to admit where he’d look at her work and see genuine understanding growing like a slow, tenacious weed through cracked pavement.

She was undisciplined. A jumbled mess of deduction and instinct. But she was learning.

He flipped to the last few pages in the book, where neat bullet points were written in his precise hand. Not for himself. For her.

• You need to stop jumping to conclusions without sufficient data.

• Emotion clouds deduction. Maintain detachment until evidence is confirmed.

• Your spatial awareness is strong. Consider pursuing work in trajectory and motion based forensics.

• Your memory recall, while clumsy, is oddly adaptive. You seem to remember patterns more than facts use that.

• Stop doodling in the margins.

And then, written softer, smaller, like it embarrassed him:

• You are better than you think. Just… be better still.

He hadn’t meant to go into so much detail. It was just supposed to be notes. Brief, simple. A few guiding remarks she could use once she returned to playing Sherlock on alien planets. But the longer he spent around her, the more the book filled. He would’ve given it to her. That was the plan. Hand it off as a cold farewell and return to his own work, alone, uninterrupted.

But when she said she was leaving, a strange ache settled in his chest. He had closed the book instead. He told her she was idiotic. That was easier than saying anything else. He wasn’t built for sentiment.

But now, in the sterile quiet of the lab, he opened the book again and stared at the last empty page. His pen hovered for a moment before he wrote:

You were the most tolerable nuisance I’ve encountered.

He closed the book. Folded his arms. And sat there, in silence. Holding the only piece of you he could.

📜🪶𓍢ִ໋🀦✎ᝰ. The Astral Express had settled into its familiar rhythm a quiet lull between the catastrophe that just occurred. You sat in your room, sprawled on your back atop your bed, legs dangling off the side as a small packet of data chips and half doodled notes littered the floor beneath you. The lighting was dim, and soft music played in the background something March had been trying to get everyone into. Bubblegum pop something or other. You didn’t mind it.

Then, your terminal lit up with an incoming call.

Caller ID: Dr. Veritas Ratio

You blinked. Seriously? The last time you’d heard from Ratio was months ago, back when you’d finished your “training” with him at Herta’s Space Station. He hadn’t called. He hadn’t sent a single follow up. Hell, you figured he forgot you existed. Which was fine. He’d called you idiotic more times than you could count. You got the message.

So why the sudden contact? You leaned over, smacked the “Answer” button with your palm, and sat back again, letting the hologram flicker to life. The familiar sight of Ratio appeared sharply dressed, arms crossed, and already mid glare.

“Have all of you completely lost your minds?” he barked.

“Wow, no hello? You’ve really softened over the months,” you drawled, stretching your arms above your head and letting out a long yawn.

Ratio ignored the comment. “You brought it on board. A Stellaron. A living, breathing, ticking time bomb and you you let them install it into the crew roster like it’s a decorative lamp!”

“Not me,” you replied casually. “That was Himeko and Welt’s call. I was too busy teaching March how to tell the difference between a footprint and a crater.”

He leaned closer into the hologram, voice sharp as shattered glass. “And you didn’t stop them?”

You tilted your head, gaze flat. “Ratio, I’ve learned many things in my life. One of which is: you do not argue with Himeko unless you want to be questioning your own sexuality.”

“This is reckless. Irresponsible. Foolhardy. Welt Yang used to be logical.”

“He still is,” you said, picking at a thread in your blanket. “Realistically, this was the safest option.”

“Oh?” Ratio lifted a brow, sarcasm soaking every syllable. “Yes, why not keep the volatile Stellaron host onboard the most advanced dimensional train known to man? Surely the best place for a cosmic disaster seed is inside the space equivalent of a floating museum.”

“See? You do have a heart,” you said, smiling slightly. “You’re worried about us.”

“I’m worried about the structural integrity of your ship, and the illogical stupidity of a crew that includes people like well, like you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

Ratio scowled. “You’re not taking this seriously.”

You rolled onto your side, cheek pressed to your pillow, gaze on the projection of his furious form pacing like a scientist on the edge of an aneurysm. “No, I am. I just also live on a train that is fully capable of going against the Antimatter Legion, hunted by robots, and now has an amnesiac walking stellar bomb with a winning smile and a personality March immediately adopted like a stray puppy. You’ll excuse me if I conserve my panic energy.”

Ratio paused, folding his arms. “You’ve grown bolder.”

“You called me idiotic for a week straight. I had to evolve or die.”

He was quiet for a moment. Then, softly so softly you barely caught it he muttered

You blinked, eyebrows lifting. “What was that?”

“Nothing.” He cleared his throat. “Still. You would be wise to proceed with caution. The Stellaron may not act today or tomorrow, but entropy is inevitable. One misstep, and it could unravel every layer of existence you so casually nap on.”

You smiled lazily. “I missed your bedtime stories.”

“You are insufferable.”

“You called me.”

Ratio paused. For a flicker of a second, his expression shifted barely visible, like a crack in marble. Thoughtful. Frustrated. Maybe even… hesitant. “you have a brain. And I don’t like seeing it wasted.” He gestured vaguely in your direction. “You’re tolerable when you’re being cautious.”

“And you’re tolerable when you’re not actively trying to kill me with a migraine.”

The hologram began to glitch slightly signal fading as the Express entered another sector.

Ratio’s voice cut through one last time before the line ended: “Just don’t get comfortable. You may not always have time to brace for the explosion.”

Then the screen blinked to black. You sat there, the weight of his words hanging in the room like smoke.

“…Still didn’t say goodbye,” you murmured, grabbing your tea and taking a slow sip. You weren’t worried.

📜🪶𓍢ִ໋🀦✎ᝰ. Herta’s Space Station was bustling with its usual polite chaos researchers skittering around with datapads too big for their hands, drones zipping above heads, experiments sparking in sealed chambers. The scent of metal and burnt circuitry lingered faintly in the air. A strangely nostalgic aroma, really.

You had come here for one reason and one reason only: to visit Screwllum. The robotic genius had promised to show you a new forensic simulation model, one that could track theoretical blood spatter in zero gravity. You were deeply interested, and by “deeply interested,” you meant giddy like a child with a crime scene coloring book.

You weren’t expecting to see him. Not as you rounded the corner of the central archive, passing Herta’s projection arguing with itself, and almost bumped headfirst into a tall figure already ranting at a researcher over some miscalculation involving quantum probability flow.

“Dr. Ratio,” you breathed, blinking once.

He turned toward you slowly. You immediately put your hands over your mouth, gasped dramatically, and staggered back a step. If he gets to ghost you, why cant you have fun yourself?

“Veritas? Is it really you?” you cried, voice shaking like a widow in a play. “The universe said you were lost to the abyss of academia, never to be seen again! I we I waited so long!”

Ratio stared at you, expression unreadable but very much unimpressed. “You’re being absurd.”

“Absurdly in love,” you swooned, grabbing his arm with faux desperation. “I swore I’d wait, no matter how long the stars turned. You you arrogant bastard you came back.”

“Stop being ridiculous,” he replied flatly. “Ill have you know that if you even tried i would’ve answered. You were simply too busy pretending to be a detective on every rock you stumbled across.”

“not one letter. Not one call. Do you have any idea how I’ve suffered? Ive missed my stuck up asshole of a husband”

He raised an eyebrow. “You were messaging Screwllum memes less than twelve hours ago.”

You blinked. “Screwllum loves my memes. Don’t derail me trying to make you look like a bad husband.”

“I should’ve let you fail the entropy unit,” he muttered, brushing your hands off like you were a particularly annoying layer of dust.

You laughed, arms crossing over your chest. “Still as insufferable as ever, Ratio. You really know how to make a girl feel welcome.”

Ratio returned to his datapad. “If by ‘welcome’ you mean ‘tolerated,’ then yes. I remain consistent.”

There was a beat of silence. The usual static hum of the station pulsed around you. You tilted your head slightly, observing him not just as a former mentor or your favorite verbal sparring partner, but as someone you honestly missed.

You stepped a little closer, voice dropping. “Hey… could we catch up a bit?”

He paused. His fingers hovered over the datapad. Just for a second. Then, slowly, he looked at you out of the corner of his eye.

“why”

You smiled. “Ok big guy is asking the questions, I suppose I just want to see how you’re doing.”

Ratio’s lips twitched, the faintest ghost of a smirk. “I suppose… some minds are worth the occasional recalibration.”

“Is that your way of saying ‘yes’?”

“It’s my way of saying you’re still stubborn and prone to foolishness but slightly less irritating than most of the imbeciles I suffer daily.”

You beamed. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Ratio glanced away, resuming his work. “Don’t get sentimental.”

But you saw the way his posture shifted less tense, a fraction more open.

📜🪶𓍢ִ໋🀦✎ᝰ. Ratio’s quarters were exactly what you expected and somehow even more Ratio than you thought possible.

Minimalist, sterile, everything arranged with sharp symmetry almost clinical, like the man had tried to recreate a science lab in the shape of a bedroom. The lighting was dim, a soft overhead hue that neither strained the eyes nor dared to be comforting. Shelves upon shelves of books lined the walls, but not a single one looked even slightly out of place. His desk had no dust, no loose wires, no snacks just data pads, models, papers arranged in brutal harmony. despite all the perfect order, there was something kind of… homey about it. Or maybe you were just losing your mind. Probably the latter.

“I’ll return shortly,” he said earlier, stepping out with a brief mention of fetching something from Screwllum or threatening Herta’s projection into silence you weren’t sure which. His voice was already vanishing down the hall as you nodded absently, too curious about seeing this inner sanctum of his to stop him.

Which is how you ended up alone in the room and your eyes landed on the book. You hadn’t seen it since your time as his reluctant partner slash student slash mental punching bag. Leather bound, its corners slightly worn, it sat there on the desk like it had been placed just for you to find it. An artifact of a past so recent it still itched under your skin. You told yourself to leave it alone. You didn’t. Fingers brushed the cover. You opened it.

The first few pages were filled with sharp, scathing commentary written in Ratio’s precise, aggressively legible handwriting. Your early days of working together where you barely kept up and made mistakes that, according to him, “required divine intervention to unsee.” You scoffed, flipping forward.

There were notes, not just about your blunders, but about what you’d done right. Diagrams you’d drawn that he’d annotated, not with insults, but improvement suggestions. Questions you’d asked that he’d praised though usually in the most begrudging tone imaginable.

You flipped further. Dates from after your training had ended appeared.

She let that walking disaster <Stelle> on board. Of course she did. Her loyalty to the crew is stronger than her self preservation. Idiotic.

…Though, if she’s the one monitoring it, perhaps there’s hope it won’t implode immediately.

Your brows lifted. Another entry, this time sloppier, less rigid:

Saw her solve a multi layer deduction test from Ruan Mei’s simulation. Beat the projection time by five minutes. Either she’s improving rapidly… or cheating. I doubt the latter. Annoying. Impressive.

And then:

You were the most tolerable nuisance I’ve encountered.

You stared at that line for a long time, blinking. Your heart gave the smallest traitorous flutter. Ratio? Writing that down? In his own personal notes? Voluntarily?

“Veritas Veritas Veritas,” you whispered, amused, letting the book rest gently on the desk again, “you’re so down bad and you don’t even know it.”

You glanced around the room with new eyes now. Not just a workspace. There were signs of you scattered in the margins things you’d said that he’d scribbled down verbatim, questions you’d asked, observations you’d made. There, in this sterile haven of knowledge, you existed. When the door slid open again with that same low mechanical hiss, you didn’t turn immediately. You kept your hands at your sides, innocent, as Ratio entered holding a datapad and a cup of something that definitely wasn’t coffee.

He raised an eyebrow.

“You moved things,” he said bluntly.

You turned, grinning. “I breathed in here. Hope that’s not too much.”

Ratio’s eyes zeroed in on the open book like a hawk spotting a wounded animal. The datapad in his hand made a dull thud as he dropped it to the desk beside you.

“You read it,” he said, voice low, clipped. It wasn’t a question. It was a fact delivered like an accusation.

You opened your mouth, but he was already moving, closing the book in one motion that was more violent than necessary. His eyes flicked to you, sharp with something between irritation and disbelief. “That book was for me. My documentation. My evaluations. Not for you to comb through like some sentimental schoolgirl with a crush.”

You just raised your hands a little in mock surrender. “Okay, first of all ow. Second, maybe don’t leave emotionally repressed love letters in plain sight if you don’t want them read.”

His scowl deepened. “You are not the center of my notes. You were a case study in irritating persistence.”

You smiled. “A tolerable nuisance, if I remember correctly.”

“I regret ever writing that.”

“You do not.”

Ratio looked like he was about to snap again, but your tone shifted before he could. A little more sincere this time. Less teasing.

“Look, before you combust into quantum dust or something, I’ve been doing the same thing. Kind of.”

That made him blink. His arms crossed tightly, jaw clenched.

You shrugged. “Whenever there was news. Whenever Screwllum or Herta mentioned something cool you did. Whenever you published something with Ruan Mei. I’d log it in a little virtual journal. Notes, quotes, observations. Even drew a diagram of your frustrated face once. It was very detailed.”

“You tracked my activity?” His voice was dry with disbelief.

“Kept tabs,” you corrected. “I mean, you did teach me how to observe patterns and record data. I thought it’d be fun to apply it to you.”

Ratio stared at you. Hard.

You grinned again, stepping closer now, just into his space, enough to make him instinctively stiffen. “So, if you like me so much, Veritas…” you tilted your head, voice dipping into a teasing lilt, “it doesn’t have to stay theoretical.”

The room went dead silent. Ratio’s eye twitched.

“I do not like you.”

You leaned back with a smug hum, hands slipping behind your back. “Sure. That’s why you wrote, ‘perhaps there’s hope it won’t implode immediately.’ About me and the crew.”

“That was in reference to the logistical risk of hosting a walking bomb, not an emotional attac—”

“You said impressive, Ratio.”

“I said annoying right before.”

You shrugged. “And still impressive.”

Ratio turned away from you, muttering curses under his breath in a tone too quiet to catch. But he didn’t tell you to leave. Didn’t shove you out or erase his notes or block access to his quarters. Instead, he sat, flipped open a new file on his datapad, and typed exactly three words

Emotional interference: persistent.

You laughed as you settled in across from him.

“Glad I’m still in your data set.”

[iloveladybuglucy]

To be his strongest, people have to be afraid—does he want people to be scared? Or worse...does he need them to be?

introducing my first invincible oc! Caelum is a nursing student at Upstate University who works as a part-time paramedic and becomes the eventual boyfriend/husband of Atom Eve in my au :)

ref sheet and character bio under the cut

Hero Name: Reverie (pron. rev-uh-ree, a state of being lost in one's thoughts, a daydream, or a dreamlike trance)

True Identity: Caelum Somner (meaning "sky" and "sleep")

Origin of his Powers:

As a medic who had witnessed countless gruesome, untimely deaths and mass murders, Caelum began to feel the effects of everything weigh heavily on him. While doom scrolling through Reddit, he came across a post looking for volunteers willling to try out a cutting-edge neurological experiment meant to help people with PTSD, anxiety, or coma recovery. The experiment involved neural stimulants and exposure to dream-state frequencies, aided by the government. Caelum, desperate for an escape from his own head, decided to reach out and agreed to do the procedure. However, the experiment was botched and his brain was permanently altered; now he can sense emotions, enter dreams, and manipulate fear.

Powers:

Emotional Manipulation & Empathy Aura

Can sense and absorb emotions, particularly fear and anxiety, which make him stronger.

His Empathy Aura can be used for calming others, reducing panic, and easing pain, making him an excellent medic.

Dream Walking & Fear Manifestation

Can enter people's dreams and explore their subconscious fears and desires.

In combat, he can trap enemies in a nightmare-like illusion, forcing them to confront their fears.

The more terrified the opponent, the stronger he becomes.

Terror-fueled Strength & Reflexes

Gains temporary enhancements (speed, agility, durability) when absorbing strong fear or anxiety.

Weaknesses & Limits:

Emotional Dependence

If his opponent is fearless, rational, or emotionally numb, his power weakens.

Can be overwhelmed by chaotic or conflicting emotions, making him vulnerable.

Dream Walking Drawbacks

Entering someone’s mind leaves his real body vulnerable.

Some strong-willed individuals can resist or manipulate the dream space against him.

Empathy Overload

If exposed to too many intense emotions at once (like a disaster scene), he can experience emotional burnout, making him ineffective.

Requires Fear to Get Stronger

Against an opponent with a calm, strategic mind, he can’t gain any boosts, forcing him to rely on his physical combat skills.

Personality:

Calm & Introspective: Caelum is naturally reserved, preferring to think before he acts. He’s methodical and observant, which makes him a great medic but sometimes slow to trust others.

Cynical but Caring: His experiences as a medic and exposure to constant suffering have made him skeptical of the world, yet he still feels deeply responsible for others. He doesn’t always believe in hope, but he acts because he wants to be the hope people need.

Dry Sense of Humor: He uses humor as a coping mechanism, often making sarcastic or dark jokes. It helps him detach from the horrors he sees daily.

Loyal but Guarded: He will fight for those he cares about, but letting people in is a different story. Trust doesn’t come easily to him.

Flaws & Internal Struggles

Emotional Burnout & Detachment – Caelum deals with so much emotional distress from others that he struggles with his own emotions. He might not even realize when he’s suppressing things until they bubble over in unhealthy ways.

Fear of Losing Control – The stronger he gets, the more he fears what prolonged exposure to terror might do to him. Could he lose himself in the emotions of others? Could he become addicted to fear?

Struggles with Optimism – He admires Eve’s idealism but finds it frustrating. In his eyes, the world is cruel, and thinking otherwise is naive. This could be a point of conflict between them.

Sleeplessness & Overworking – Since his powers weaken with exhaustion, he constantly pushes himself to the brink, unwilling to rest even when he needs it. His body and mind often suffer as a result.

Dependency on Others’ Fear – A terrifying realization for him is that in order to be his strongest, people have to be afraid. This creates a moral dilemma—does he want people to be scared? Does he need them to be?

Relationship with Eve: 

Caelum is calm, introspective, and a deep thinker—opposite to Eve’s more emotional and idealistic nature. While Eve often feels conflicted about her powers and their impact on others, Caelum is able to show her that even in the face of difficult decisions, there are always other perspectives to consider. His quiet demeanor and rational thinking can help her make clearer choices without the burden of too much stress.

Their relationship is balanced—Eve helps Caelum tap into his emotional side and push beyond the logical, while he helps Eve regain a sense of grounding when she gets too idealistic or overconfident in her powers. Their differences complement each other—Eve is emotional, driven by ideals, while Caelum is rational and grounded. She helps him see that it isn't stupid or pointless to have hope, while he keeps her from overextending herself.

Caelum often struggles with Eve’s desire to “fix” things with her powers, as he believes not everything can (or should) be fixed. On the flip side, Eve finds his cynicism exhausting.